THE killing of a protected British reptile by vandals has been condemned as sickening by a wildlife expert.

"It is the first time we have had such an horrific attack on an animal in this area. It is something you hope you are not going to see," said Graeme Skinner, director of wildlife charity Naturally Wild.

He was reacting to the deliberate killing of a harmless, slug-eating slow worm, found on the outskirts of Guisborough, east Cleveland, crushed and cut into small pieces.

The discovery comes after an adder was found strung up on a post on the nearby North York Moors.

Both reptiles are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act and are declining in numbers in Britain.

While adders are unlikely to be found in gardens, the slow worm, a legless lizard, is often seen in gardens on the outskirts of towns and villages, and is liked by gardeners because it eats pests